Page 14 of Conspiracies and Chemistry

I folded my arms and stared Jason in the eye. He took off his baseball cap, scratched the sweaty wisps of hair on top of his head, and jammed it back down. Behind me, a door opened, and electronic blaster fire boomed. It stopped as Savannah murmured something. She was answered by a couple of low voices. After a minute, I heard footsteps on the carpet.

“Excuse me.” A pair of gangly young men brushed past me. Both appeared to be about college age. One was an inch or two taller, but the other was stockier. “Let’s take a walk, Dad,” the taller one said.

“What’s she doing?” Jason peered around me.

“Leaving.” The stocky one grasped his arm. “Now, let’s give her some space.”

“What if she takes something that’s mine?” Their father’s voice was petulant.

“Mom wouldn’t do that.”

“She stole my car once,” he argued.

“California is a community property state. It’s her car too.” The taller one’s face was kind like his mother’s, but his jaw hardened.

“Come on,” said the other one. “We can go for a ride. I’ll drive.”

Jason glared at me. I lifted my chin. After a long beat, he let his sons guide him back downstairs. I turned and went the direction I’d seen Savannah go.

There was a crash followed by a shattering sound. “Crap!”

I followed the sound of her voice and found her in a bathroom off a good-sized bedroom, her ankles and the tiles splattered with something peachy pink. She looked at me, an expression of devastation turning down her lips. “I dropped my foundation.”

“It’s fine. We’ll get you a new one. In fact, leave everything except the things you can’t live without. We’ll replace the rest.”

She bent to pick up a piece of the broken bottle. “I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking me to do anything.” When I stepped toward her, a piece of glass crunched under my boot. “Leave it. We’re going, and you don’t need to worry about anything.”

“But I…” She looked up at me, then nodded and stood, her knees creaking. “Okay. Just a sec.” She stepped over the mess in the bathroom and walked across the hall to a room decorated with K-pop posters and a couple of movie posters that looked like romantic dramas. She scooped four paperbacks off the nightstand and dumped the contents of two drawers into a duffel bag. She plucked three framed photos—the kind-faced boy in a cap and gown, the stocky boy looking strangled in a red-striped tie, and a young woman with Savannah’s blond hair leaning artfully against a brick wall—from the dresser. She laid them on top of her clothes and slung the bag over her shoulder. “Ready.”

That went better than I’d hoped. “Great.” I led the way downstairs, past the three men still entranced by the game on the big screen, to the front door. I was thankful Jason and his girlfriend were gone. But when I put my hand on the door latch, I realized Savannah wasn’t behind me. She was in the kitchen, staring sorrowfully at the copper-bottomed pans hanging over the peninsula. “Give me two minutes, and I’ll box these up.”

“No time,” I said. Who knew how long her sons could distract their father. “Besides, there’s no space for them at my place. I’ve got a cabinet full of pots you can use.”

She gave the rack a longing look. “But these are… Okay,” she sighed.

Outside, I breathed easier in the fresh air that didn’t smell like turkey and obligation. I’d never been gladder that, since Harry, I hadn’t let anyone trap me into a relationship, much less a marriage that would end in shattered trust and abandoned saucepots.

7

Recombinant DNA

Recombinant DNA:The laboratory technique of joining DNA molecules from different sources to create a hybrid.

OLIVER

The Monday after Thanksgiving, I was already waiting in Dr. Perrell’s office when she arrived. The gym bag slung over her shoulder told me she’d done her morning workout in the fitness room in the basement.

“Oliver. Good morning.” She slid open a deep drawer in the credenza behind her desk and dropped her bag inside. She pulled her laptop from her satchel, plugged it in, and powered it on. Finally, Dr. Perrell eased into her chair with a wince. “Leg day,” she muttered. She took a long pull from her water bottle. She looked at me expectantly. “How can I help you?”

“Did you know Tessa Wright ended her employees’ benefits when she sold Red Rover?”

The CEO waved a hand. “I’m not sure that was Tessa’s decision. Besides, disgruntled employees will say anything. People don’t like change.”

Of course not. Change sucked. “I don’t want her making changes like that here.”

“Employee benefits are not her focus. Although West reports to her, they’ve agreed that he’ll handle human resources while she concentrates on product development.”

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